It should be stressed that, unusually for an author, my problem tends to be brevity rather than longevity, so the first stage of redrafting will actually be expanding the bits that need it. In particular, I've got one chapter (which might become two) which runs in parallel to the primary storyline and which I deliberately left mostly unwritten now, so that I could use what I wrote subsequently to make it integrate better with the main storyline.

The extra stuff isn't related to changes to the plot or adding characters or anything like that, it's just fleshing out descriptions and perhaps adding the odd scene to help smooth character development. In the past I'd try to write the first draft entirely, getting stuck now and then and sloooowly working through them. This time, I've just written through them, and I'll come back to them for the first redraft. It remains to be seen whether or not this is a better approach, but I've grown more comfortable with redrafting so I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm also thinking about updating the Book Stuff page so that it's got a miniature summary of Journey to Altmortis. After all, most people visiting the site (+1 cool point for each of you) will already have bought Bane of Souls, or at least downloaded the sample.

I've begun early work on the map for Altmortis, which is an enjoyable challenge as I'm really rubbish at artistic things. I've got the initial symbols done and know where every major feature is in relation to each other, so hopefully I'll be able to put it together reasonably well. The only slight sticking point is one of two crests. It's of a crow, and I can't decide whether it's better all black or partly grey. Anyway, it's hardly an insurmountable issue, but I'll put it below:

As the title cunningly suggests, I'm basically halfway through the initial draft of Altmortis. So, it seems like a good time for a vague and fuzzy update.

Writing's been going at a decent pace since I got back into it, but things are a bit briefer than I'd like. Sorting out the formatting after checking Bane of Souls for mistakes took a while and I think I've slightly lost the art of waffle/detailed exposition. So, before doing a proper redraft (which means uploading the chapters onto ye olde Kindle and then highlighting errors or places where extra stuff could be added) I'm going to check the first draft on the computer with the aim of expanding scenes that are a bit too concise.

On the plus side, I've gotten some important bits of the story done and I'm pretty happy with them. I especially like the introduction of a new race, which is quite an intense and creepy piece of writing.

I'm also thinking of changing the title to Journey to Altmortis. That helps convey what the story's about a bit more, and it still fits nicely as a fantasy title.